Technology's Gone Mad
A phone rings and at least fifteen people try to remember where they had left their mobile phones, while another fifteen actually take their mobiles from their pockets or from the desks to answer them, each thinking that it was his or hers. Technology has gone berserk at this 1999 Cricket World Cup. If you doubt me, here is a true scenario for you: The English newspaper I am intimately associated with, the Sunday Telegraph, one of the better broadsheet newspapers overall and whose sports pages, especially cricket pages, are, in my opinion, the best constructed and written in the world, do not even have their own 'fixed' land line telephone at the new Media Centre at Lords. The ST is ``sharing'' one such telephone line with its cousins, the Daily Telegraph. This fixed line is actually seldom used. With the new technology, the modems in the mobile telephones can be programmed to transmit the data from those ubiquitous lap-tops, and even palm-top computers, which also have modems. Once the ``marriage'' of technology, pulses and signals takes place, then data can be sent anywhere in the world very easily. To make things worse, or better, as your point of view allows, some of the mobile telephones do not even have to be connected to laptops with those old connecting wires. The more modern mobiles actually connect to the lap-top via infra-red connections. Therefore there is no cable required for this connection. What next , you ask? Before you get that answer, though, perhaps you will consider this. On the first day of the 1999 Cricket World Cup, when Sri Lanka played against England, Lords had so many journalists that the spill-over had to be housed; this was planned before hand; in the Lords indoor school. By the time the game was half way completed, chaos almost reigned. So many mobile telephones were housed in the same place at the same time, and were in use at the same time, that the signals could not get through to anywhere via the main carriers. Incessantly, the message read, ``Network Error'' or ``Network Jammed'' or ``Network Busy'' or some such drivel. For about two hours, the new and improved technology failed as everyone wanted to ``speak to someone'', or send stories at the same time. In the end, those who were lucky to have ``land lines'' could have charged premium prices for their use. Sometimes, technology defeats itself. If one is musical, then the sounds eminating from those mobile phones could bring tears to the eyes and the heart. One could program his or her mobile telephone to play any tune from Handel's ``Hallelujah Chorus'' to Bruce Springsteen's ``Born in the USA''. Actually, I find that part very funny, as many users actually forget what tune is programmed into their mobiles. When the phones actually ring, or sing, or whatever, they never think it is their own, as they do not recognise the ``ring''. My lap-top can actually be programmed to type for me. All I have to do is to ``train it to listen and recognise my voice.'' Once the computer does that, then I could put down thoughts for these stories without actually touching the keyboard. All I have to do is speak in a certain tone and the computer does the rest. Truly amazing, is it not? ***** I do not know how many of you out there actually look at cartoons, but I love them. There is one, ``The Jetsons'' in which the father figure actually folds up his space car, turning it into his briefcase, after getting to work. At Disney World in Orlando, Florida, one of the attractions shouts about ``Now is the time for change'' and goes through the scenario of the best time in the ages to be involved in technology. With things changing so very quickly, I wonder how the hell they, and for that matter, we, are keeping up. Folks, we are in the ``Jetson's Age'', perhaps past it Anything imaginable has already been invented and used, yet more inventions are just coming on. I hope we do make things which would be useful for us an the ages. By the time we learn to use them, they are already absolete. Enjoy them anyway!
|